Catching Wind
by Le Redhead Merchant
Summary: Katherine, better known as Kathy, always tried to find a way to enjoy all of life since her mother died. Castanet helped her do just that, and more... Set of many drabbles/ficlets about Kathy's life, in no particular order.
1. Iron, Iron, Wherefore Art Thou?

_Scrap Metal_

Kathy and Owen had always held a steady friendship through their years on Castanet Island. Both of them were down-to-earth and friendly, and were commonly interested in horses. However, the one thing Kathy never could understand was how he could deal with ores and minerals.

"Owen, come look! I found silver!" a young tween Kathy called from across the dark, dank mine floor. She marveled at the greyish glow the ore gave off; a sense of accomplishment crept in.

Her athletic, muscled friend, surprisingly light on his feet, jogged over to inspect her find.

"Here," she grinned, handing him the chunk.

He gently took it in his hand, rolling it between his palms, observing it from all angles. After some time of inspection, his grin fell.

Kathy pursed her bottom lip. "What?" she demanded, hands on hips, "Is it not good enough or something? Well, I'll just take it back, then!" She whipped it out of his grasp. Stomping off to the stairs leading back up the mine, she hollered over her shoulder, "See if I go mining with you again! Hmph!" Her favorite cowboy boot heels clopped up the stairs, the sound echoing off the cave walls.

Owen frantically ran after her. "Wait, Kathy, you don't understand!" he shouted.

"No, I think I get it!" She yelled from the floor up. Kathy huffed and crossed her arms, waiting for him to catch up with her. She'd had enough of breaking open rocks for the day, only to find it vacant of any precious material.

Owen made it over to her and pressed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She slapped it away. "I finally find something good, and you just... Frown at me? Ugh, I'm so done!" she yelled in desperation, stamping a foot on the ground.

He sighed. "Look, it's not like you didn't find something good- you did! It's just... I wasn't quite sure how to explain..." he trailed off, placing a fist on his hip and scratching his head, as he did when he found himself in an embarrassing or awkward situation.

Kathy raised a brow. "Um, explain what?" she asked, cooling down.

"That's not silver, it's iron," he sighed.

Kathy's features softened. "Oh, why didn't you just say so, Mister Blacksmith-in-training! You go off and give me the wrong idea, sheesh," she huffed.

"Well, I didn't mean to give you that idea when I... Wait, did I actually frown at you?" he said, puzzled.

She laughed softly, tugging on her twirly ponytail.

Owen thanked the Harvest Goddess it was too dark to see his reddened face. "Well, uh, can we go back now? I'll help you find the rocks that have ore in them, if you want," he encouraged her, eager to get things right again.

She grinned ecstatically and bounced on her heels. "Alrighty, let's get going again! And naw, I'll find 'em myself, but thanks!" she declared, racing back down with Owen in tow.

After what felt like an hour, Kathy clanged away at a rock, halting to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She saw something catch the light of her lantern. Deciding to surprise Owen, she dutifully hacked away until, cradled in the palm of her hand, a chunk of solid iron sat. She gleefully snuck up behind Owen, cooing, "Guess what?"

He turned to see her holding the chunk. "Oh, you got something! That's great!" he exclaimed.

"It's iron!" she cried, turning in an almost graceful circle, stopping to hold it out.

As he picked it up to look at it, he laughed.

"What?" Kathy smirked.

"Kathy?"

"Mm-hm?"

"This is scrap metal."

* * *

A/N: Hello! Welcome to the world of everything Kathy. I found the lack of wholesome Kathy fics disturbing, so I decided to take up a drabble fic thingymabobber. If you're wondering about pairings, I'll be using all the rival pairings. As for the farmers, I'll pair them up with Witch, Wizard, H. King and H. Goddess.

I may or may not update daily, I might even post multiple drabbles at once. :o Anyway, feel free to drop a review if you catch any errors, or something off the canon because I like sticking to canon, or simply to state whether (or not) you enjoy it.

There will be no content beyond a T rating in here.

(PS I love Kathy x Owen with a fiery passion, so it'll show up a lot.)


	2. Rushing Winds

_Free_

Swift hooves strike the ground, tearing up grass and dirt, sending clumps flying. Golden hair flying behind, a girl's ponytail had long since broken free. The wind whips her locks into her face, but she pays no heed. She buries her face into the inky black mane of her companion. She lingers for a moment, but then releases her grip, raising her torso and throwing her arms up, as if reaching for the sky. Clouds drift placidly by in the pool of turquoise.

A perfect day for a nice gallop through the fields of Castanet.

Her excited laughs are stolen by the wind, but that matters very little, seeing as it's just her and her horse. Silly day-dreams filter in and out. There she is, crossing the finish line, having left everyone else in the dust in the iconic race of the Animal Festival! Onlookers everywhere cheer her name, "Kathy! Kathy!" clapping and laughing, all completely amazed at her performance, especially-

"No!" she shouts, trying to stop her stream of thoughts. Nope. She's not gonna think about that, no sir... Oh, it's too late anyway. She purses her lips. "Argh! Idiot!" she protests, already blushing from the image in her mind. She rides to get away from thoughts, not dwell on them.

"Hiyah!" she urges her dark-colored friend, riding further over hills. Although, it can't be all that terrible to think about some things while she's out in the middle of nowhere. Hell, the whole island of Castanet would be the poster child for the Middle of Nowhere, but that's beside the point. The point is, she can say or do whatever she wants, and no one can do anything to stop her. Of course, once you realize you're out in a place of no civilized grounds, you have to come to terms with the fact that there isn't much you're left with anyway. She shrugs.

Her buddy finally decides to slow the rampant pace she was so intent on keeping up, and Kathy seizes the chance to get a good look at her surroundings. Since there's no saddle to worry about, she swings her legs over and off the horse. Kathy scans the horizon for anything familiar. Marimba Farm's colorful crop fields are just barely visible, and the windmill's blades can clearly be seen, turning slowly as ever. Good. She turns her head to the right. Okay, Fugue Forest is still creepy as ever. Good.. She guessed. She turns to the animal with a gentle smile, raising a hand to gently pat her side. "That's a good girl, Sophie. That's a good girl..." she coos affectionately.

Sophie whinnies good-naturedly in response, clopping over to a particularly large patch of grass. She sniffs the blades gingerly, then decidedly nibbles away at them. She always was a picky one, that horse.

Kathy chuckles. Although Sophie isn't exactly hers, she might as well be! Horn Ranch often sells its livestock, as well as horses. She's fondly reminded of the day she first met the sleek coated animal. Since the Bar obviously can't fit a horse anywhere, Kathy made a deal with Horn Ranch. Sophie belonged to her as long as she went to visit the horse daily. Over time, the requirement whittled down to thrice a week as business picked up.

Kathy's just fine with it, though. Although, lately she's been finding more time to visit her beloved hooved friend. It's a double-edged situation. Castanet sorta just... Died over time. The waters hold no glittering fish beneath the lifeless waves, crops refuse to grow in the less than fertile soil... Even the winds seem sluggish.

Well, everything has a strange way of changing, so the best path is not to put a question mark where everything else puts a period, she decides.


	3. Scientific Banter

_Chatter_

Kathy peered into the General Store, clutching the object tightly to her chest. "Anyone in?" she hollered.

No reply came.

Curiously, though, the door was left ajar and store merchandise unguarded. She stepped back from the door and closed it, sighing. If Kathy'd gone in, she'd surely raise suspicion, regardless of her reliable reputation. She swung around on her heels.

An ear-splitting crash rang through the evening air. "That sounded like-"

The door flew open and a soot-dusted, frazzled Pheobe stumbled out, hacking up dust and waving her arms to dissipate the acrid air.

"Pheobe?!" Kathy cried. The mysterious girl she'd met not a month ago stood before her. "Wh-what happened?" she asked incredulously.

Wiping the dirt from her glasses on her shirt, she replied hoarsely, "I was testing a new invention and it... Exploded..." She pushed her glasses back on with a single sturdy finger.

Kathy couldn't help but laugh. "Really? You're an inventor, er, if that's what it's called?" she smiled apologetically. She rested a hand on her hip, a small cloud erupting in the cool autumn air.

"Mm-hm," Pheobe nodded, "I _am_ an inventor! I also like to explore around local caves, so if you have anything interesting, come talk to me." She grinned widely, exposing brilliantly white teeth, bracketed by hot pink braces.

She twirled a smooth, iridescent stone in her fingers. "Actually, I found this yesterday," she informed Pheobe, holding the stone out to her for a look. "I'm not sure what it is, but it looks real pretty!" she laughed.

Pheobe's eyes lit up with a wild glint, and she hastily grabbed the precious stone. "Omigoodness! It's a moonstone!" she gasped.

"A... Moonstone?" Kathy interjected, raising a curious brow.

Pheobe nodded vigorously. "Moonstone is a sodium potassium aluminium silicate, with the chemical formula AlSi3O8! Its name is derived from a visual effect, or sheen, caused by light diffraction within a microstructure consisting of a regular succession of feldspar layers," she babbled excitedly, holding it up to the setting sun.

Kathy's eyes widened. Her brain refused to properly compute any of the words Pheobe uttered. "R-really? That sounds very interesting, Pheobe," she assured her, nodding lightly and smiling. She immediately regretted saying so.

"Oh, really? Well, feldspars in general are a very interesting topic. They are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals that make up as much as sixty percent of the Earth's crust, and..."

Kathy groaned indwardly. It was going to be a long evening...

* * *

Now would be a great time to do a **disclaimer.**

I do not own Harvest Moon, Natsume, or anything Nintendo owns or co-owns, or produces. I do not own Pheobe's ridiculous scientific banter, I copied it off of Wikipedia's articles about Moonstones and Feldspar minerals.

And that's that! I'll try to be better and update at least once a day, guys. Thanks!

**To Lilybud:** AUGHHH OTP. XD It's weird, because I didn't particularly like the second chapter. It's probably because I tried to do present-tense XD


	4. I'm a SPRITE, not a Fairy!

_Sprite_

She hops up excitedly, pointing to the fizzy, orange ball. "Daddy, Daddy, what's that!" she exclaims, golden curls bouncing.

Her husky father squints in the direction she points; his eyes detect nothing unusual. "Ah, probably just a fly, sweetheart," he chuckles, ruffling her hair.

The orange ball drifts closer to her face. "I am not a fly, thank you! I am a _sprite_!" he shrieks, puffing out his tiny chest.

"A fairy, Daddy, it's a fairy!" she giggles in delight. Her tiny hands reach out for him, trying to catch him.

He darts around her little head, shouting indignantly, "I said sprite! Not fairy!" He gives up after more giggles and hands flying at him. He settles on top of her head, crossing his stubby legs and sighing.

Her father only gives an appreciative smile. "Well, maybe this place is as magical as they say, Kathy," he laughs, leaning back against the tree. He folds his burly arms against the back of his head.

She grins, emerald eyes glimmering with glee. A real fairy! "What's your name, fairy?" she whispers, tilting her head up in hopes of catching a glimpse of him.

He falls backward, but promptly remembers his wings and whizzes back up to her face, flitting around joyfully. "I'm Finn! You're Kathy!" he shouts jubilantly. He waves his twig-like arms around and turns in circles.

The warm afternoon breeze swept her curls around. She plodded through the tall, jade grass to come closer to Finn, smiling widely still. "Hi, Finn! Nice to meetcha!" she greets him ecstatically. She holds her hands out. "Come meet my Daddy!" she requests.

"But he can't see me!" Finn protests, his funny little hat bouncing.

"Just come," Kathy pleads with wide eyes.

He frowns and furrows his tiny eyebrows. "Well, I can't say no to that," he grumbles, settling himself on her hands.

She hurries over to her father, thrusting out Finn for him to see.

He looks up at his daughter, unable to understand. He searches her face for some sort of clue.

"Look at my new friend, Daddy!" Kathy beams.

Finn huffs as his hat droops over his eyes. "He can't see me!" he exclaims, flopping his body back.

Her father's eyebrows shoot up. "Huh? Who said that?" he asks, looking around.

"Wait**— **you can hear me? Hey, down here!" Finn shouts in pleasant surprise, waving his arms around rapidly.

Hayden, now thouroughly puzzled, squints down into a shining Kathy's hands, spying an orange spark. A fairy truly sits before him. "Never thought I'd see the day," he whispers in wonder. Perhaps Castanet really _is_ magical, after all.

* * *

To Lilybud: Lolol. I love Pheobe so much. She has great potential as a character XD


	5. The Unpaid Intern

_Part 1_

Kathy leaned against the dark marble bartop, heaving a sigh. "She's late, Daddy," she groaned at Hayden.

He stood at the back, rubbing out the last of the dirty glasses in the bar. "We established that a few hours ago, hun," he chuckled. He ducked down and placed the glass back under the cupboard.

"But the Brass Bar will be full of our regulars any minute! She can't exactly intern if she don't know how things work 'round here," she hissed, twirling a curled blonde lock between her fingers.

"Probably skipped out on us," Chase grumbled, rubbing down the bar's frying pan with vegetable oil.

"Chase," Kathy sighed, "just... Get ready for customers or something."

"Yes, Mistress," he drawled.

As if right on cue, the bar doors burst open. A husky redhead entered, followed by a lean bluenette with a wild glint in his eye.

"Sweet! First guys here!" the bluenette yelled, pumping a fist in the air and slumping down into the nearest chair.

"Hey Owen, Luke," Kathy greeted them.

Owen gave a friendly wave. He frowned as he took his seat. "Hey, uh, isn't the intern supposed to be here? Or are they just in the back?" he questioned, draping an arm over the back of his chair.

Kathy only buried her head in her arms and emitted a groan.

"Intern ain't here yet, unless she got lost," Hayden chuckled.

Luke sat up straight, his bandanna flapping with the movement. "It's a chick! Sweet, bro," he winked, leaning his chair back against the wall, propping his hands behind his head and his feet on the table.

Owen gave a hearty chortle at his friend's antics.

Kathy pursed her lips and raised a skeptical brow, turning to the blender. "That'll be the usual, boys?" she called.

They simultaneously confirmed, then turned back to each other to engage in lively banter.

She reached down to retrieve the ingredients necessary for the coveted blend, setting them on the counter with distinct clinking noises. The soft plinking of the piano set the mood in a relaxing note. With a flick of her wrist, she snapped the blender shut and pressed the button with her thumb. Her father never bothered to buy a better one, so hey had to make do with a single-setting blender. In a _bar_. Story of her life.

"You think she'll actually come?" Chase asked, skepticism lacing his voice. He retied his plum apron in the back and shoved his sleeves up.

Kathy gave a bitter laugh at that. "Maybe when the cows come home," she sneered, letting go of the button and wrestling the cap off the blender. She reached down below the counter and emerged with two glasses, skillfully lifting the blender pitcher and pouring the drink in the glasses.

Chase laughed, a rare thing indeed, and leaned back against the counter. "Hm. If she does come, things are about to get interesting," he smirked.

"Ugh. You're so weird, Chase," Kathy laughed, clutching the glasses in her hands. She sauntered over to the boys and gracefully set the glasses down. "Here ya go! Two House Specials comin' your way, boys!" she winked.

"Hey, do you know what this 'intern' looks like? I mean, I'm just curious at this point," Luke grinned. He cocked his head in an innocent manner, hardly coming off as innocent on him.

Kathy promptly bopped him upside the head. "You seriously need to get your brain outta the gutter, son," she informed him, planting a hand on her hip.

"Ow, sheesh..." he complained. He gingerly rubbed a hand on the back of his head.

Owen cracked a smile and turned to Kathy. "Anyway, you still haven't paid up that debt you owe me, Kathy," he smirked, resting his head on his hand.

Kathy slapped a hand to her cheek. "Oh no," she cried in mock anguish. She rolled her eyes, raising a brow and pursing her red lips. "I'd rather throw myself off Sophie than repay your little 'debt," she replied, making air quotations.

Luke gave a low whistle, his eyebrows shooting up. "Whoa! What happened here?" he shouted.

Hayden, too, was listening intently from the back of the Brass Bar.

The issue was put to rest as the welcoming doors to the bar creaked hesitantly inward.

A pale face, hooded by a black sweatshirt and framed by a straight, dark curtain of hair, popped inside and scanned the room with rusty brown eyes. She awkwardly cracked the door open a little more and swung the rest of her body inside. She clutched a worn duffel bag loosely. "Hum... Hi?" she attempted at a greeting.

"Hey there," Luke scootched his chair around to face her, "I'm Luke." He gave a playful wink and an encouraging thumbs up.

"Yo! Owen here!" he waved heartily.

Kathy simply pursed her lips. "So _you're_ Akaya," she stated.

Akaya nodded dully. "Where do I stay?" she asked. The dark circles under her eyes were apparent, her wan face more than common pale, as if she were some sort kf vampire.

Unfortunately, the girl hadn't opened her mouth wide enough for Kathy to confirm that. She gestured toward the door in the back. "We'll be sharing a room. It'll be the first door ya see, hun," Kathy promptly declared.

Akaya's eyes, though weary from lack of rest, were still sharp as knives. They glared at Kathy for a good thirty seconds, then she stalked off to her new living quarters.

She stood and watched as the strange girl opened and shut the door to the back hall. What kinds of things would this intern bring into Castanet?

* * *

Arghhh. I need to stop coming up with story ideas. :0 Anyways, the idea of an "intern" under Kathy thoroughly entertained me. I'll make this a story arc, or, if you'd so please, my lovely readers, I'll make a story out of it. I dunno if I'd be able to make it happen, but I could try lol.

To Lilybud: Awww QwQ Thank you so much! Wow XD I'm rather flattered. :') I thought it'd be a cute idea, and then it sorta wrote itself, uh huh huh.


End file.
